Catalan separatist judgement: not guilty of rebellion

Thread: Guilty of sedition and the misuse of public funds. Former deputy First Minister Oriol Junqueras jailed for 13 years.

1. The Supreme Court judgment in the historic trial of Catalan separatists has arrived. 493 pages in total. All the details here. NOT GUILTY of rebellion or criminal organisation. GUILTY of sedition and the misuse of public funds. 13 year jail sentence for Junqueras.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 9:44 am | On Twitter

2. We will go through it all in a series of threads. The headline points have been known since Saturday because of a monstruous leak to the press. Four months trial, four months deliberation, 493 pages. A historic judgement for Spain as a nation. The details will be important.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 9:46 am | On Twitter

3. Here is the full pdf of the Supreme Court judgement on the trial of the Catalan separatists: https://www.thespainreport.es/articles/359-191014094907-sentencia-juicio-del-proces
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 9:51 am | On Twitter

4. Reader patrons also have a copy of the judgement ready to read in on their WhatsApp:
https://www.patreon.com/join/matthewbennett
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 9:53 am | On Twitter

5. So, it will take us a series of threads to understand and analyse all of this. Step by step. Let's begin in this one with the jail sentences, convictions and proven facts.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 9:55 am | On Twitter

9. We shall have to keep an eye on all of the political reactions today as well of course. Omnium emphasises “100 YEARS IN JAIL” on its WhatsApp channel, and calls for an urgent meeting and an immediate protest in the streets.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 10:15 am | On Twitter

10. Vox, who brought a private prosecution during the trial, announces that party leader Abascal and lead counsel (and politician) Ortega Smith will appear at the Supreme Court at 12:30 to offer their opinion on the judgement.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 10:18 am | On Twitter

11. “Everybody down to Barcelona”, announces the separatist Tsunami Democratic group to its 142,000 followers on Telegram, “the response to the judgement begins”.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 10:21 am | On Twitter

13. Barça has felt the need to issue a statement on the judgement, in Spanish (not Catalan): "prison is not the solution", writes the football club, which asks for dialogue.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 10:31 am | On Twitter

14. Once again:
"4. We must ACQUIT and DO ACQUIT all of the defendants of the crimes of rebellion and criminal organisation."
Forn, Rull, Vila, Borrás and Mundó acquitted of the misuse of public funds as well.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 10:36 am | On Twitter

15. Separatist CDR protest groups in Catalonia call for a protest in front of the regional High Court in order to “point out the repressors”, “shit Justice”, “the popular revolt begins”.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 10:41 am | On Twitter

16. If we compare the outcome of the convictions with the initial requests, the Supreme Court has bought the thesis put forward by government lawyers—after the dismissal of criminal law chief Edmundo Bal—sedition, the misuse of public funds and contempt.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 10:56 am | On Twitter

17. After 23 pages of prior matters, the proven facts start with the Legal Transition Act, which was published in the Catalan gazette, the DOGC, on September 8, 2017: “it included unilateral proclamations of rupture with the current constitutional system”.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 11:10 am | On Twitter

18.
- "proclaiming Catalonia a Republic"
- "sovereignty resides in the people of Cataluña"
- "declared the constitutional monarchy abolished"
- regional High Court becomes Catalan Supreme Court
And somehow this is going to end up as a public order offence…
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 11:23 am | On Twitter

19. The Legal Transition Act “modified the legal regime of nationality”, “redefined territorial limits”, brought over civil servants to the new state and made the Catalan government the highest tax authority in the new territory.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 11:28 am | On Twitter

20. The Referendum Act, also published in the Catalan gazette, “described the act of approval of the law as an 'act of sovereignty'”. If there were more votes in favour than against, “the result would imply the independence of Catalonia”.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 11:33 am | On Twitter

21. "Both texts, followed by other implementation regulations, were part of a strategy agreed upon by the main defendants". It was all about “creating an apparent legal cover” and there was “task distribution among the protagonists”.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 11:37 am | On Twitter

24. “The consequence was that the electoral committees were formed by those citizens who arrived earliest at the polling station”. Which is to say the Supreme Court considers it proven fact that the vote on October 1, 2017 was a fully-fledged electoral scam.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 11:50 am | On Twitter

25. Spain's Central Electoral Commission, on October 4 that year: “On October 1, 2017, no process took place in Catalonia that can be considered as a referendum in any of the modalities provided for by the legal system”.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 11:53 am | On Twitter

26. On October 10, 2017, Puigdemont announced in parliament “that he would comply with the mandate of the people of Catalonia to make an independent state in the form of a republic” and then suspended it. Later, “they signed what they described as a declaration of independence".
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 12:04 pm | On Twitter

27. “The so-called declaration of independence was approved with 70 votes in favour” on 27 October, but “it did not then have practical specificity” due to the immediate suspension of home rule.
Supreme Court describes "SYMBOLIC AND INEFFECTIVE declaration of independence".
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 12:05 pm | On Twitter

28. The two disconnection laws were “in open contradiction with the constitutional bases of the system". They should have been rejected. Forcadell "systematically voted in favour of their admission and opened up the possibility of non-compliance with constitutional rules".
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 12:11 pm | On Twitter

29. There was a resolution, 1/XI on November 9, 2015 in Catalan Parliament, “for the creation of the independent Catalan State”, two years before October 1 crisis and on the anniversary of Artur Mas's referendum the year before. Constitutional Court declared it unconstitutional.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 12:15 pm | On Twitter

30. The Commission for the Study of the Constituent Process “reached the conclusion that the aim was to disconnect from Spanish laws via the unilateral path” and the Catalan Parliament approved those conclusions despite their unconstitutionality.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 12:18 pm | On Twitter

31. There are several pages of proven facts in which Forcadell and the separatists in the Catalan Parliament repeatedly failed to comply with Constitutional Court warnings and continued to act unconstitutionally. The “yes” vote won "with 90.18% of the votes cast".
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 12:24 pm | On Twitter

32. The Supreme Court considers proven that “on March 30, 2015, the agreement to act illegaly was formalised via the agreement of a roadmap”…but the court will somehow explain to us later on in the judgement how all of this was NOT criminal organisation.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 12:28 pm | On Twitter

33. The regional elections on September 27, 2015, according to the separatists, “would have a plebiscite nature”, to begin “the immediate process of national transition”, with state structures in order to “proclaim independence”.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 12:33 pm | On Twitter

34. “Until the referendum was held, complementary parliamentary activity saw a series of regulatory acts aimed at making possible what the Constitutional Court had declared illegal". They did not desist, despite repeated warnings.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 12:35 pm | On Twitter

35. PROVEN FACT: Jané was sacked for Forn in July 2017 “to ensure that the regional [Catalan] police"—the Mossos—"did not frustrate the holding of the referendum". The same thing happened with Ruiz and Munté at Education and First Minister's departments.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 12:40 pm | On Twitter

36. Baiget, the former regional industry minister, was dismissed "after having stated in an interview that he considered it irresponsible to hold a unilateral referendum".
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 12:42 pm | On Twitter

38. In September 2017, Junqueras stopped sending accounting information to the Treasury, which imposed more controls and began paying “Catalan government creditors directly”.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 1:14 pm | On Twitter

39. The Treasury banned any payments from the Catalan government related to illegal activities, requiring a certificate first from the financial controller, but Puigdemont's government authorised tenders for the referendum anyway.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 1:19 pm | On Twitter

41. Sánchez and Cuixart's contribution “was decisive for the intended ends”, with an “absence of violence in mass protests”. They took up “the vanguard for citizen mobilisation aimed at the holding of the referendum”.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 1:27 pm | On Twitter

42. Sept 20: Sánchez and Cuixart, and the ANC and Omnium, summoned the population to the regional economy ministry building in Barcelona when it became known that the Civil Guard was searching the offices with an order from Court No. 13 in Barcelona.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 1:31 pm | On Twitter

43. Sept 20: the calls to protest “called on citizens to defend Catalan institutions”, “demanded that the Civil Guard release the people who had been arrested” and called for mobilisation: the state had declared war on them.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 1:35 pm | On Twitter

44. Sept 20: the Catalan Police standing at the door of the Ministry of Economy received no reinforcement that day, with 40,000 demonstrators in front of the building, except a few mediator colleagues who arrived.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 1:40 pm | On Twitter

45. Sept 20: “The protest prevented the Civil Guard from bringing the detainees into the building” and “also prevented the court order from being properly executed”. The police vehicles “were very badly damaged”.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 1:43 pm | On Twitter

46. Sept 20: Jordi Sánchez, the then chairman of the ANC, “stood as the spokesperson for the protest before police officers”, “imposed conditions” on the Civil Guard and refused to allow them to carry out their police duties.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 1:49 pm | On Twitter

47. Sept 20: Supreme Court certifies testimony by the Mossos BRIMO riot police boss when he arrived at the regional economy ministry that night. Jordi Sánchez told him: "Get the BRIMO out of here […], what you're doing is not what we agreed on, get out of here".
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 1:52 pm | On Twitter

48. Sept 20: that evening, Sanchez asked “that no one go home yet, because they had a 'long and intense night'” ahead but then at 11:41 p.m., from atop the Civil Guard vehicle, he urged “those gathered to abandon that day's protest”.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 2:00 pm | On Twitter

50. Sept 20: “These acts were promoted, led and sought by the defendants Messrs. Sánchez and Cuixart, who maintained the protest until midnight”.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 2:05 pm | On Twitter

51. Nine of the defendants expressed “messages of solidarity, affection and commitment and expressions of gratitude, encouraging active participation in the illegal referendum” despite knowing the existence of the regional High Court order prohibiting it being held.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 2:11 pm | On Twitter

55. Separatist CDR protest group in Girona says on its Telegram channel that they have blocked the AVE high-speed train tracks:
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 2:22 pm | On Twitter

56. At the September 28 meeting between the Mossos commanders and the Puigdmoent's regional executive at regional government HQ, Trapero warned them that there could be “serious incidents between police officers and citizens” on October 1.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 2:28 pm | On Twitter

57. Nieto, Milló and Pérez de los Coboss—the representatives of the Spanish state—believed Forn's version before October 1 that he would comply with the order from the regional high court.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 2:32 pm | On Twitter

58. The “obvious goal” of occupying school buildings on Friday and Saturday, with the Escoles Obertes initiative, was to secure the referendum. Bassa played an important role there. The Mossos, who depended on Forn, limited themselves to “taking note of the fact”.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 2:37 pm | On Twitter

59. Supreme Court certifies that the Catalan Police “did not interfere with the casting of votes, beyond some apparent action and at a minimum number of polling stations. In some cases, they even collected, took charge of and moved electoral materials…”.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 2:42 pm | On Twitter

60. Supreme Court rules force used by police and Civil Guard officers on the morning of October 1, 2017 in Catalonia was proportional according to the law.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 2:45 pm | On Twitter

61. The misuse of public funds. The referendum costs—Diplocat, CTTI, Helena Catt, T-Systems, Unipost, the Civisme campaign, CCMA—"are expressive of the conscious and voluntary diversion of public funds". They are "the expression of their criminal consortium".
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 2:53 pm | On Twitter

62. This last paragraph of the proven facts is going to be VERY CONTROVERSIAL because it gets into interpreting the intentions of the defendants in organising the referendum and executing the plan: they deceived citizens and sought to pressure government and judges.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 3:00 pm | On Twitter

63. And those, dear readers, are the proven facts of the trial of the Catalan separatists, according to the Supreme Court. Time for lunch. We shall continue this evening. Thank you for reading.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 3:03 pm | On Twitter

64. Aena says about twenty flights have been cancelled at Barcelona El Prat due to the riots with separatists.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 5:50 pm | On Twitter

66. It's also noteworthy what is NOT in the proven facts in the judgement: the King's speech and reaction on October 3, 2017, for example, or almost nothing about the episodes of violence described by all of the police officers during the long months of the Supreme Court trial.
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 8:50 pm | On Twitter

68. Will today's protests in Barcelona's El Prat airport go any further? Will there be a Hong Kong in Catalonia? Will the famous Catalan Spring idea finally become a reality? A Maidan in Barcelona? Or will it be just another day of frustration, rage and riots like all the others?
Published: Oct 14, 2019, 9:15 pm | On Twitter

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